Overview
Join our team as a Certified Child Life Specialist III in our NICU and make a lasting impact on children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. In this advanced role, you'll provide emotional support, therapeutic interventions, and family-centered care that helps pediatric patients cope with healthcare experiences in a safe, supportive environment.
As a clinical leader, you'll mentor teammates and students, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and help shape programs that enhance the patient and family experience. If you're passionate about advocacy, education, and creating meaningful moments for children and families, we'd love to have you on our team.
Why become a Teammate at Novant Health?
- Future Forward Program to help you advance your career.
- Relocation assistance available.
- Benefits starting day one.
- Structured onboarding and dedicated preceptors.
- Career growth and skill building opportunities.
- Top ratings in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group.
- Quality and safety recognition from CMS.
Qualifications
- Education: 4 Year / Bachelors Degree, required. In Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Recreational Therapy, Psychology, or related field. Graduate Degree, preferred.
- Experience: 5 years, required. A total of 10,400 hours as a Certified Child Life specialist or 8,320 hours with a Master’s degree.
- Licensure/Certification: Certification - Assoc of Child Life Professionals, required.
- Additional Skills (required): Meets child life competencies and other skills/activities in accordance with the job description. Maintains The Association of Child Life Professionals membership. Participates in child life departmental meetings and other related functions. Serves as a role model for peers; precepts and orients new staff. Sits on an approved committee or workgroup through Novant Health, The Association of Child Life Professionals or a local Child Life association.Administers initial competencies to new staff. Provides departmental and interdisciplinary education. Develops and coordinates new clinical programming. Participates on research working groups. Presents at conferences/publishes on topics relevant to Child Life. Assists with competency development. Plans and facilitates staff team building activities. Leads clinical supervision when Lead CLS is unavailable. Ability to drive/travel to multiple facilities/locations as needed.Meets child life competencies and other skills/activities in accordance with the job description.. Participates in child life departmental meetings and other related functions. Demonstrates mastery of advanced child life practice skills. Sits on an approved committee or workgroup through Novant Health, and the child life professional community. Administers initial competencies to new staff. Provides departmental and interdisciplinary education. Develops and coordinates new clinical programming and supports quality improvement initiatives related to pediatric care in the system. Assists with competency development and clinical supervision as needed.
Responsibilities
Process: Provides therapeutic child life interventions for patients, siblings and families. Develops child life programs to promote normalization, positive coping, and to minimize stress and negative effects of healthcare experiences. Provides support for family and multidisciplinary team in emergency situations (codes, critical care transport, bereavement). Advocates for patients, siblings and families throughout healthcare settings, and in the community. Plans, implements and assists with support groups when applicable.. Oversees child life students and volunteers when necessary
Education: Provides education to the multidisciplinary team on child life strategies for providing optimal care to pediatric patients and their families. Educates the community about the certified child life specialist role and benefit to pediatric patients and families.
Compliance: Complies with departmental, hospital and regulatory policies and procedures.
